Cinderella’s Body. A Quantitative Approach to Gender, Embodiment, and Folktale Plots

Abstract This study utilizes quantitative methods to investigate feminist claims about beauty in a series of ATU 510A Cinderella texts. Youth and beauty are found to be linked, and structurally, the protagonist’s encounter with the donor figure does not further beautify her but rather gives her the tools for social advancement. Articulating links between gender, beauty, and success matters in both tale worlds and the real world given not only the pressure of social norms but also the continued issue of gender-based violence due to masculine entitlement to beautiful women’s bodies.